David Roberts
David Roberts was born in Liverpool and studied a degree in fashion design at Manchester Metropolitan University. After university he worked as a milliner and began to get work as a fashion illustrator but always felt his true calling was in children's book illustration. After working as a shelf stacker, egg fryer, hair washer, film extra and coffee-maker David finally realised his dream of becoming a children's book illustrator when his first book Frankie Stein's Robot, written by Roy Apps, was published in 1998 and shortlisted for the Mother Goose Award for emerging illustrators.
Since then he has illustrated works by authors such as Philip Ardagh, Daren King, Julia Donaldson, Jacqueline Wilson, Tom Baker and Chris Priestley. He is also the creator of Dirty Bertie - a litle boy with bad habits.
Books
Angela Nicely: Cupcake Wars
Author: Alan Macdonald Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Stripes
Interest age: 6+
Reading age: 7+
Three short chapter books in one small volume, containing the further adventures of Angela Nicely. The clear text and funny illustrations complement each other well, and encourage readers to move swiftly through the stories.
Dirty Bertie
Author: David Roberts
Publisher: Little Tiger Books
Interest age: 4+
Reading age: 5+
This fun picture book about the not-so-nice side of a typical little boy will make children laugh out loud!
Jack and the FlumFlum Tree
Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Interest age: 4+
Reading age: 7+
When Jack’s granny falls ill with the moozles, the doctor tells him that the only thing that will cure her is the fruit of the mysterious flumflum tree.
One Cool Cat
Author: Susannah Corbett
Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Egmont
Interest age: 5+
Reading age: 6+
White Cat is one cool customer - far to cool to care about silly superstitions. But pride comes before a fall, and eventually White Cat tries one boast too many, with hilariously disastrous consequences.
Operation Bunny
Author: Sally Gardner
Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Interest age: 7+
Reading age: 7+
In the first case for the Fairy Detective Agency, Wings and Co, resourceful heroine Emily Vole must defeat the dastardly fairy-snatching villain Harpella.
Rosie Revere, Engineer
Author: Andrea Beaty
Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Abrams
Interest age: 4+
Reading age: 7+
Rosie Revere dreams of becoming a great engineer. She creates wonderful gadgets and gizmos - but only when no one is watching.
Sleeping Beauty
Author: Re-told by Lynn Roberts-Maloney Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Pavilion Books
Interest age: 5+
Reading age: 5+
A wonderful retelling of the classic fairy tale coupled with the book's fantastic 1950s-style illustration is sure to make this a very popular read for children, as well as adults with an eye for the retro and beautiful.
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
Author: Andrea Beaty Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Abrams
Interest age: 6-11
Reading age: 6+
Sofia Valdez isn’t just a do-gooder: she’s a do-better, visiting people in her community who can’t get out much, or just stopping for a chat. Andrea Beaty’s brilliant rhyming text tells Sofia’s story flawlessly, and David Roberts' characters and imagery are stunning.
The Troll
Author: Julia Donaldson
Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Interest age: 3+
Reading age: 6+
This fun and unusual picture book brings together two classic tales with a modern twist
The Wind in the Willows
Author: Kenneth Graeme
Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Interest age: 6+
Reading age: 8+
Follow the adventures of Mole, Ratty and Toad in this beautiful new edition of a much-loved classic, illustrated by David Roberts.
Three Pickled Herrings
Author: Sally Gardner
Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Orion
Interest age: 7+
Reading age: 8+
A clever young girl called Emily, an 11-year-old fairy, and Fidget the talking cat run a detective agency, Wings & Co.
Tinder
Author: Sally Gardner
Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Indigo
Interest age: 12+
Reading age: 11+
Award-winning author Sally Gardner teams up with David Roberts to put a new spin on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy-tale The Tinder Box in this dark and gripping tale.
Tyrannosaurus Drip
Author: Julia Donaldson Illustrator: David Roberts
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Interest age: 5+
Reading age: 6+
A duckbill dinosaur egg is mistakenly hatched by a fierce, war-loving Tyrannosaurus family.